CHANNEL TRAGEDY
Four die as boat capsizes in English Channel during migrant crossing attempt to the UK from France
The death toll is not final and could be revised upwards
FOUR people have died after a boat capsized in the English Channel during a migrant crossing attempt from France to the UK.
The French coastguard confirmed the deaths this morning following the tragedy late last night.
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A spokesperson said 63 migrants had been rescued during a crossing attempt overnight.
Four people were found unconscious and could not be saved by emergency services.
The death toll is not final and could be revised upwards, reports.
A spokesman for France’s Maritime Prefecture said the deaths happened when “all those on the boat ended up in the sea” as rain fell, and winds picked up.
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Some survivors were clinging on to the remains of the boat, which had deflated in open sea,’ said the Maritime Prefecture spokesman.
Three of those who died were found in the water, while the fourth was in the remains of the boat, he added.
The Minck – a French rescue boat based in Calais – was first on the scene and was soon assisted by a fishing boat.
“The two boats picked up as many people from the sea as possible,” said the spokesman.
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A Navy helicopter based at Le Touquet was then involved in looking for survivors, before other rescue craft arrived.
Around 6am, at daybreak, 14 people were picked up by the fishing vessel and 49 others by the Minck.
The helicopter and the Cormoran patrol boat then located the four deceased, who have not yet been identified.
In April, a criminal enquiry was launched following the deaths of five migrants including a little girl in the same area of the English Channel.
They suffocated in a gruesome accident on a small boat which – despite the horror – continued on its way to Britain.
People smugglers were suspected of charging each up to £1000-a-head to board the inflatable dinghy packed with 112 people, instead of an advised 20.
It got in to difficulty off Wimereux beach, near Boulogne-sur-Mer, flinging around 50 people into the bitterly cold water.
Some of those who fell in, including the four-year-old girl, got caught underneath the boat, and were trapped by the weight of those still on board.
Guirec Le Bras, the port town’s prosecutor, said an enquiry had been launched into "manslaugher, criminal association, and the assistance of foreigners in an irregular situation."
Some alleged smugglers were arrested, and their nautical equipment confiscated, said Mr Le Bras.
Five migrants also drowned while trying to get to Britain from Wimereux beach on January 14.
The worst tragedy of this kind came in November 2021, when 27 migrants died after a dinghy sank while heading to the UK – the highest recorded number of deaths from a single incident.
Last year, there were 67,337 asylum applications to the UK, and 29,437 of them came from people who arrived in small boats.
The furious Mayor of Wimereux has frequently argued that such tragedies are all the fault of the British.
Jean-Luc Dubaele said in April: “Five dead in January, five dead in April. What are we waiting for?
“Why do the English welcome them? Why do they absolutely want to travel to England? These are the questions that need to be asked.”
He said: “It is Britain that is responsible for the boats setting off across the English Channel and the deaths that occur in the sea.
“The English pay us to stop the boats setting off but they look after the migrants when they arrive on their shores.
“The English give them accommodation, food, a bank account, and let them work without regulation.
“It is the English who are responsible for every boat that sails across the Channel to England.
“This has been going on for more than 20 years – migrants crossing to England illegally.
“I have been mayor for four years and I've watched as more and more boats leave from these shores and more people die in the sea.”
Mr Dubaele has frequently described Britain as an “immigrant El Dorado”, saying easy access to benefits, and a chance to work in the UK's black economy, attracted thousands from around the world.
Latest Home Office figures show 419 people made the journey across the Channel from France to the UK in six boats on Tuesday, suggesting an average of around 70 people per boat and taking the provisional total for 2024 to date to 14,058.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has launched a Border Security Command with the aim to crack down on people smuggling gangs orchestrating the crossings.
A commander for the unit is expected to be appointed in the coming weeks.
She said on X, formerly Twitter: "The further loss of life in the Channel this morning is truly awful.
"My thoughts are with all those affected.
"Criminal gangs are making vast profit from putting lives at risk.
"We are accelerating action with international partners to pursue & bring down dangerous smuggler gangs."
Shadow Home Secretary James Cleverly said on X: "Reports of more deaths in the channel are a tragedy.
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"As a country we must do everything in our power to stop the boats and put an end to this vile trade in human suffering."
At least 15 people have died while crossing the Channel so far this year.
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